Page 214

Inside the infirmary of Zerion Academy.

I was facing Seron in Hannon’s form.

After hearing the reason why Seron had cried, I looked at her with disbelief.

Embarrassed, her face flushed red and she bowed her head.

“I-I-I really thought Prince Sweet Potato had died!”

Seron bit her lip again, on the verge of tears.

I let out a faint laugh at her reaction.

“I’m alive and well, see? I was actually on my way to tell you once you woke up.”

I had already explained the situation to the others.

I was shedding the identity of Vikamon and returning to being Hannon.

There’s a clear advantage to this.

First, the recent civil war incident can be further amplified.

Vikamon is someone who had been personally pardoned by the 3rd Imperial Princess.

If such a person got caught up in the Panisys civil war and died, the Empire would be justified in holding Panisys responsible.

This also means the involvement of the academy students can be framed as self-defense.

‘I did kill quite a few people, after all.’

Most of them were nobles from Panisys.

With their children dead, Panisys certainly won’t stay quiet.

The enraged parents will scream, especially since they’re guilty of plenty themselves.

But if the Empire also suffered losses, the narrative changes.

In fact, the Empire can accuse Panisys of killing the hero who stopped the Apostle’s advance.

That’s why I intentionally let Vikamon be sacrificed.

Thanks to that, a subtle tension now exists between the Empire and Panisys.

Prince Maron was safely handed over as a royal guest with Solbas.

The civil war isn’t over yet, but it won’t be long before the Empire and other kingdoms unsheathe their swords.

Most importantly, no one knows how Duke Robliage will move.

Duke Robliage clearly recognizes me.

There’s a high probability that he was involved in this civil war.

If the main culprit who ruined the war is dead, attention will be scattered.

Besides, I’m cooperating with the real Hannon now.

Though he's a handful, the real Hannon's presence here allows me to act outside while keeping my identity hidden.

Being free to move means I can act covertly.

It might just give me the means to deliver a big blow to Duke Robliage’s vile schemes.

That’s the benefit I saw—so I was willing to sacrifice Vikamon.

“…Then there’s nothing left for Prince Sweet Potato, is there?”

All my achievements will be credited to Hannon.

When Seron pointed that out, I blinked.

Unfortunately, I have no desire for honor or wealth.

More precisely, when my love was broken, those desires disappeared too.

All that remains for me now is one goal: to guide this world to a happy ending.

Seron must’ve sensed that too, which is why she asked what I’d be left with after everything ends.

“I’ll be fine.”

My voice came out calmer than I expected.

“With the people I know, I could live just fine tagging along with someone.”

Thanks to the connections I’ve built up at Zerion Academy, I won’t have trouble surviving.

I even gave a thumbs-up, prompting Seron to let out a long sigh.

“Then come to my house when it’s all over. I’ll convince my dad.”

Looks like I’ve got a place to stay in the future.

“But that means you’ll have to use that bandage again, right?”

Seron suddenly shot me a glare as the thought hit her.

She’s not the only one.

All the kids I told about my situation looked at me like that.

Especially Nikita—she really let me have it when I first told her.

Even if it was just a lie, she said it was too much.

Nikita and I sent Card to the first floor of Zerion, then exited through the emergency passage.

“See you at this year’s entrance ceremony.”

Nikita’s eyes were filled with regret, but we parted safely.

According to Card’s testimony, Vikamon died.

Since it happened in the Demon Dungeon, there was no way to retrieve a body.

But there’s one problem: I’ll have to use the Veil Bandages again.

Especially Isabel, who was crucial in persuading me—she scolded me the most.

When I avoided Seron’s gaze, she grabbed my collar sharply.

“You really want to get scolded, don’t you?!”

“Wait, I’ve got my reasons.”

“We begged you to take it off, and you just go wrapping yourself in it again?! You idiot!”

Her nagging continued.

But since it was out of concern, I didn’t find it unpleasant.

“What are you smiling about now?!”

“You’re alive and well, aren’t you?”

“Ugh, yeah, ugh.”

Seron short-circuited a bit.

She slowly lowered her hand and started biting her lip.

“…Don’t wear it every day.”

“Of course. I won’t wear it while I’m in my room.”

She still looked a bit dissatisfied, but didn’t say anything more.

She bumped my arm with her forehead.

It seemed she wanted to complain, but wasn’t actually upset.

Maybe thanks to the time we’ve spent together, I could now read her moods clearly.

“Seron, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Wh-what is it?”

As I turned serious, Seron flinched.

She used to react that way a lot when I was Vikamon.

Now she still did, even when I looked like Hannon.

“I’ve recovered part of my anger.”

Her eyes widened slowly.

Then she jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“That’s great!”

She was overjoyed.

I didn’t think she’d be this happy just because I’d regained one emotion.

“How? Why? From what?”

She eagerly asked what helped me regain my anger.

“It was from watching you wobble around.”

I couldn’t help teasing her.

“Oh come on! Seriously. I need to know so we can find the next emotion too!”

“It was when I saw you getting hurt by the Apostle.”

Her eyes went round.

“When I thought you’d died, I got angry at that bastard.”

Her eyes darted around before she raised her hand and covered her mouth.

Even with her face half-covered, I could see her smiling.

“You like that?”

“Heheh… yeah. Of course I do. Prince Sweet Potato got angry for my sake. That means I’m really important to you, right?”

She puffed up proudly and shrugged her shoulders.

She really is consistent in her personality.

“So you got angry thinking I was dead? Really? Huh? Huh?”

Still clinging to me, she stood on tiptoes, demanding confirmation.

She kept nuzzling her cheek against mine—it was soft and ticklish.

“Seron.”

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

When she looked up at me with wide, round eyes, I told her firmly:

“Don’t do that again.”

I meant it.

Seron stared at me for a moment before pouting.

“Prince Sweet Potato, what would you do if I were in danger of dying?”

“I’d save you, even if it cost me my life.”

“You’re being shameless now.”

Yet she looked pleased.

“Same for me. My body moves before I even think. No matter what.”

Seron lowered her hand and gently touched the bracelet around my wrist.

“I’d do anything for you, Prince Sweet Potato. Because you’re the person I love the moooooost in the whole world.”

Her eyes met mine, and she smiled brightly.

It was, without question, a lovely smile.

“So I can’t promise. But since I don’t want to see you hurting, I’ll try to hold back.”

Then she stood on her tiptoes again.

Her soft lips met mine.

For some reason, they tasted like sweet strawberries.

When our lips parted, Seron was beaming with a mix of embarrassment and joy.

“That’s our promise.”

“What happened to pinky promises like everyone else does?”

“This is a promise just between you and me, Prince Sweet Potato. Next time, you make the promise!”

With a playful huff, Seron pulled away from me.

Then she looked up at me from an angle.

“...But if you just want to, you don’t need a promise. You can do it anytime.”

If she’s going to get embarrassed after saying things like that, why does she say them?

Looking at her really makes me wonder about love.

“But if you use the Veil Bandages again, won’t you lose your rage again?”

“No, I won’t. The Veil Bandages can’t erase emotions once they’ve been restored.”

To be precise, I’ve learned how to harness my rage, so I won’t forget it again.

Even if the bandage tries to erase it, I can still stir up that emotion myself.

So it’s not a problem for me to use the Veil Bandages.

“Rather, I feel like I’ve finally come to understand what true rage is.”

It used to be just an instinctive emotion.

But now that I understand its mechanism, it’s a completely different realm.

“Maybe that’s why it feels... amplified.”

“Amplified?”

Seron pondered that word.

“Amplified... hmm.”

Then she suddenly covered her mouth and glanced at me.

“What?”

I asked, curious about her look, and she shook her head.

“...Nothing. Just thinking you’re probably going to suffer a bit later.”

“Suffer how?”

“You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Seron didn’t say more and scurried off.

“But hey, that means I was the first one to help you get your emotions back!”

That’s true.

“Hehehe.”

Seron laughed meaningfully.

I had a feeling she might go around teasing the others about it.

I was a little worried, but it wasn’t something I could interfere in.

“My rage still isn’t fully back. It’s like a spark that’s just barely lit.”

“But I started it!”

Seron was brimming with excitement.

Is helping me regain my emotions really that exciting?

Seeing her like that, I figured I’d better nurture this spark carefully.

If it’s ever going to become a full flame, there needs to be another trigger.

Hopefully, not another situation like this one.

Clack—

Just then, the hospital room door suddenly opened.

We turned toward it and saw a familiar face.

“You.”

It was Isabel.

I didn’t know how she found out I was here, but she looked at me as she caught her breath.

It seemed she had come in a rush.

“The young lady came to the Zerion Academy.”

“The young lady?”

Seron tilted her head in confusion.

But I knew exactly who Isabel meant.

“...Xenia?”

Xenia Niflheim.

Vikamon’s younger sister—and now, by blood, related to me too.

Xenia had come to Zerion Academy.

And I would soon understand why.

“...It’s because of me.”

Vikamon Niflheim.

Though he had been excommunicated from the Niflheim family, he was still Xenia’s older brother.

And now, Vikamon was dead.

The Count of Niflheim didn’t care whether he lived or died.

But someone in the family had to see to Vikamon’s death.

And that task must’ve fallen to Xenia, the acting head of the household.

“What are you going to do?”

Isabel sighed as she looked at me.

She had experienced the death of a sibling herself, so her gaze was filled with unease.

“Well, yeah.”

I couldn’t really feel much different.

“She probably doesn’t care that much, right?”

Xenia hadn’t been particularly fond of Vikamon.

She might even be annoyed by the whole thing.

“No.”

Isabel disagreed.

“There’s no way that’s true.”

Maybe Isabel saw something I didn’t.

After all, I had lost the ability to feel sorrow, so she might’ve sensed something I couldn’t.

Well, anyway—

“I’ll have to meet her.”

I need to see Xenia and find out for myself what’s going on.